Erin Coors

Mattel and Live Nation have announced that actress Erin Elizabeth Coors has been cast as the lead role of Barbie in the elaborate stage production of Barbie Live In Fairytopia. Barbie, the doll with the too-good-to-be-true figure, wardrobe and array of careers, is taking human form for the first time. Coors, from Cincinnati, Ohio, will bring Barbie to life onstage for the first time ever in a touring live theatrical stage show coming to Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, April 11 – 16.

The 24-year-old Coors called the role "a girl's dream come true".  A Kent State University graduate with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, Coors has a degree in voice and dance with an emphasis on acting. Performing since the eighth grade, the highly experienced actress is a mezzo-soprano and has a strong commitment to entertaining. A self-proclaimed ‘Barbie fan,’ Coors has a collection of Barbie dolls stored at home and she has a wealth of knowledge about Barbie doll’s history and trivia.

"It's very personal to me," Coors said. "It's not just putting on a character, but remembering everything she was to me when I was little."

The stage show, inspired by last year's direct-to-video Barbie Fairytopia film, opens in Columbus, Ohio, on April 1 and is slated to reach 80 American cities over the next two years.

The show combines child-friendly entertainment with elements of a Broadway musical, said Barry Waldo, Mattel's director of entertainment. It features original music and a set decorated with 45 kilograms of glitter, he said. "For the first time, we're going to be able to take Barbie to little girls," Waldo said.

“Erin is a truly gifted actress – she has a beautiful voice, is a very experienced dancer and she has a magnetic stage persona that perfectly brings Barbie to life,” said director Eric Schaeffer. “We are incredibly lucky to have her for the live show, and I know audiences will be dazzled by her performance.”